This is the first in a (hopefully) weekly series of interview features aiming to let some of our most popular and committed Mixcloud members tell us all a bit more about who they are, what they do, and why they chose Mixcloud to spread their sounds.
First up are prolific uploaders and long-time Mixcloud members, Ibiza Sonica. The radio station broadcasts live across the Balearic party island and streams 24/7 via their website, keeping listeners up to date with what’s happening in Ibiza as well as playing all the most up to date dance music; courtesy of a fine roster of residents and guest DJ’s.
Andy Wilson, programme director, resident DJ and producer at Sonica, has seen online listener-ship increase faster than ever since joining the ‘Cloud, and sees a symbiotic relationship between the two sites. “Until now I think the internet has diluted a lot of the power of radio, as many online radio stations do little to foster the sense of community that is such an important function of the medium. There is just so much to choose from it can be bewildering knowing where to go, but with Mixcloud that sense of community is really apparent, and it’s so easy to find shows featuring the music you want to hear, or to explore unfamiliar genres; and of course it’s a great place to discover new music and talent”.
One of the station’s regulars (live 9pm-10pm CET) is Hofer66, a local hero and editor of Dub Magazine in Ibiza, who sees the site as a perfect tool for any aspiring DJ. “Some DJ’s might say that if you put a playlist on than anybody can copy their style but I see it the other way round. First of all, we as creative DJ’s and producers will always be one step ahead and second it’s the ideal tool for all producers – well-known and more importantly, not-so-well-known – to sell their trax to a target group that fits perfect. It is also a really good education tool to help spread ‘good music'”.
With summer just around the corner, Ibiza is already coming out of hibernation and getting ready for the season ahead, with Sonica yet again aiming to be an integral part of everything happening on and off the island; and Andy is raring to go; “We do a lot of special shows in the summer, we’ll be coming live from Sonar in June and the International Music Summit in May, as well as lots of live broadcasts from the best beach bars and from clubs like Space and Amnesia every night . We’re also starting a new show with Pioneer – the DJSounds Multimedia Show – which will have video content as well as audio with sets from the best DJs and parties every week; we’ll also be streaming video direct to Facebook pages from some events too, like the opening of We Love Sundays at Space”
So it sounds like Sonica’s output will just be getting better and better, and with Cloudcasts from the likes of Jose Padilla, Valentin Huedo and Igor Marijuan (not to mention hosting Chris Coco’s massive Melodica show and Jon Sa Trinxa’s weekly mix) consistently clogging up the popular list, it looks like the Mixcloud massive can’t get enough of their Balearic vibes.